Medical professionals in South Korea walked out for three days this summer.
If there were any time in recent modern history when we have really needed doctors, this is one of them. Millions of people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide and of those who have needed hospital help, many have died. Statistics can be hard to come by for accurate numbers in North America but at least in the UK, about 30% of those who entered the hospital with COVID-19 have died. Going on strike would seem like the last thing medical professionals would be thinking of right now. It happened, however, in South Korea.
In the final week of August 2020, doctors in South Korea went on strike for three days to protest a number of government proposals aimed at them. (South Koreans enjoy universal healthcare that is supported by the government, which is normally a great thing).
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It is hard to judge from outside this vibrant Asian country whether or not the doctors hitting the picketing lines were acting in the best interest of the country’s healthcare system, or just being selfish, for lack of a better word. The South Korean government is said to have been proposing to increase the number of doctors in the country in order to be better prepared for major health crises, like the pandemic, in the future. They wanted to do this by increasing the number of medical students over a span of some years. The government also expressed the desire to create public medical schools, to increase the amount of oriental medicine government insurance covers, and to up the telemedicine options available throughout the country.
All of these sound like logical steps to take. They would create an even better medical system than already exists in the country. But it made doctors mad. Those who are student doctors right now say the plan would flood the job market which is already almost too competitive to begin with. This is a legitimate concern. They also felt that money would be better spent improving the salaries of trainees. This would encourage more health professionals to leave the large city of Seoul, and seek out jobs in the countryside where more doctors are necessary.
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Their concerns could likely be legitimate. It is a heck of a time to start arguing for your rights, however. But maybe this is the point.
South Korea has been applauded worldwide for its rapid and efficient response to the coronavirus. The country’s coronavirus curve rose sharply at around the same rate as Italy’s at the beginning of the pandemic. It was quickly flattened in March however, and has stayed that way until August, when it began to spike again. Officials in the country took rapid action at the beginning with readily available COVID-19 testing, highly specific virus tracking apps, and a public that was willing to comply with the advised public health measures. At the time of this writing the country still has less than 350 coronavirus deaths. Perhaps that says it all. These doctors do deserve to be paid more. Somehow, they are working a miracle.
photo credits: A Kisel/Shutterstock.com
